Young people tore down Israeli hostage posters and launched a wave of anti-Israel demonstrations saying they were motivated by thousands of pro-Palestinian videos, mainly on TikTok and Instagram.
Tearing down posters and praising those who do it has become a trend since Hamas terrorists took 240 Israeli hostages during their terrorist attack on October 7.
More than a dozen protesters interviewed by The Post in Manhattan said their opinions about the Israel-Hamas war were shaped primarily by Instagram and TikTok accounts — and to a lesser extent by their school professors.
They were at a rally on Thursday attended by at least 2,000, mostly under 30s who skipped school to join the anti-Israel spectacle.
Zara Asif, 17, who came with classmate Manoor Javed, 16, from New Utrecht High School in Bensonhurst, said the two had been inspired to go to pro-Palestinian rallies around the Northeast and Washington DC by watching TikTok and Instagram videos.
17-year-old Adama follows Palestinian journalists reporting from the ground in Gaza on TikTok.Stefano Giovannini Zara Asif 17, and Manoor Javed 16, of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn said they were both inspired and passionate about pro-Palestinian causes by what they saw on TikTok. and Instagram.Stefano Giovannini
Asif said, the images he saw on social media encouraged him to act.
“They post pictures of babies with their skulls and their brains leaking,” Asif said.
The Israel-Hamas War: How we got here
2005: Israel unilaterally withdraws from the Gaza Strip more than three decades after winning the territory from Egypt in the Six-Day War.
2006: The terrorist group Hamas wins Palestinian legislative elections.
2007: Hamas takes control of Gaza in a civil war.
2008: Israel launched a military offensive against Gaza after Palestinian terrorists fired rockets into the city of Sderot.
2023: Hamas launches its biggest attack on Israel in 50 years, in an early morning ambush on Oct. 7, firing thousands of rockets and sending dozens of militants into Israeli cities.
The terrorists killed over 1,400 Israelis, injured over 4,200, and took at least 200 hostages.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly announced, “We are at war,” and promised Hamas would pay “an unprecedented price.”
Gaza’s Ministry of Health – which is controlled by Hamas – reports at least 3,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 12,500 injured since the war began.
Javed said his school forbade them from talking about pro-Palestinian politics and sometimes what he reposted on social media would be dismissed.
“But everybody’s pushing and everybody’s posting and that’s how we’re going to make a difference,” Javed said. “We will not stop – ever.”
Ravia Sidhu 18 (from India) and Zarif Islam, 19, (from Bangladesh), who are both US citizens, said they know people look down on TikTok videos about the Israel-Hamas war but praise the social media giant. Both attended Thursday’s rally.Stefano Giovannini
A 17-year-old who gave his name as Adama said he followed several Palestinian journalists posting from the ground in Gaza on TikTok.
“Places like CNN and other mainstream media are not reporting on it,” Adama told The Post. “It’s something you can’t deny. Children killed, bombed. No humanitarian aid is allowed in. You can’t deny it.”
Students of the University of St. John Ravia Sidhu and his friend, Zarif Islam, 19, who attends CUNY, said they came to Thursday’s rally after what Sidhu said was “doing a lot of our own research.”
“While I know people say Oh TikTok might be telling you a lot of incorrect information, I saw on CNN and The New York Times as well,” Sidhu told The Post. “I educate myself and others should too.”
Joana Sa Dias from Lisbon says she is on social media “hour by hour” and “minute by minute” watching what is happening in the Israel-Hamas war.Stefano Giovannini This is the kind of content that young people find and share on Instagram and TikTok because they claim to “do their own research.” They ignore the “mainstream” media, sparking poster-tearing and anti-Israel protests. Calla Walsh
Michelle Ahdoot, director with End Jew Hatred said she did not believe that the young people tearing down the posters and going to the rally – the majority appeared to be under 30 – really realized what they were doing.
“Many of them won’t be able to point to Israel on a map,” Ahdoot told The Post. “I think a lot of this comes from ignorance. They have been brainwashed into thinking that they are doing something in the name of social justice.”
How celebrities, schools and businesses responded to Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Israel
Liora Rez, executive director of Stop Antisemitism, blamed Hamas-sponsored propaganda at the university level – in addition to social media – for the continued destruction of posters and rallies.
“Tearing down these hostage posters is not only evil in and of itself, but shows solidarity with a terrorist organization whose only mission is to exterminate the Jews,” said Rez.
While there are many pro-Israel videos on TikTok and other social media, they seem to be less popular than pro-Palestinian videos.
A non-binary person who gave their name as “Mel” was seen arguing with an older man after he tried to stop Mel from tearing down an Israeli hostage poster across the street from a pro-Palestinian rally Thursday in Bryant Park. Dana Kennedy for the NY Post
The top search result for the search phrase “stand with Palestine” was viewed nearly 3 billion times on October 26, while the top result for “stand with Israel” was viewed just over 200 million times, according to one analysis.
TikTok’s own data shows a similar gap in the US, with more than twice as many posts using the hashtag #StandwithPalestine as posts with #StandwithIsrael over the past two weeks, Axios reports.
Supermodels Gigi and Bella Hadid, whose billionaire father is Palestinian and who has supported the Palestinian cause for years, have a combined 140 million followers on Instagram, and celebrities including Mark Ruffalo, Dua Lipa, Jenna Ortega and rapper Macklemore among others have voiced repeatedly. concerns about the Palestinian struggle on social media.
Sebastian Grant, 30, is a pro-Palestinian professor and activist who compares pro-Palestinian accounts on social media to the same kind of online activism that sparked the Arab Spring.Stefano Giovannini
At Thursday’s protest, the radicalization of young people was on display as a 23-year-old non-binary protester gave his name as Mel confronted a man trying to stop protesters from tearing down hostage posters.
“This is a propaganda poster that doesn’t take into account all the thousands (of Palestinians) that have been killed so far,” Mel told The Post. “How will a bomb from Israel help these hostages?”
Follow The Post’s coverage of Israel’s war with Hamas
Some have compared the surge in anti-Israel sentiment to the Arab Spring of 2011 when Twitter and Facebook energized protesters to oppose oppressive regimes across the Middle East.
“I think social media has played a role, you see the same thing with the Arab spring,” Sebastian Grant, 30, said at the rally. “That started to swell 10 years ago and you’re seeing the same thing now.”
Calla Walsh, 19, left, has worked on behalf of several progressive organizations despite her age but said she is now focusing on Palestine Action US, a group she co-founded. Calla Walsh Walsh shared a photo of a T-shirt with anti-Israel sentiments on her Instagram account. Calla Walsh Walsh has been a political activist for more than three years. Calla Walsh
“I literally use Instagram hour after hour to see minute-by-minute updates on how they’re reporting the bombings, the situation in the hospital,” said Joana Sa Dias, 25, who said she was originally from Lisbon but now lives in New York. “It opened my eyes.”
Anti-Israel influencers posting on Instagram and TikTok have gained followers since the Hamas massacre.
Among them is Calla Walsh, 19 years old from Cambridge, Massachusetts.
He is one of the youngest and fiercest behind-the-scenes anti-Israel agitators, a founding organizer US Palestinian Actionand has 158 million views on TikTok for his videos.
Among the reasons: encouraging his followers to tear down posters.
Many of the young protesters covered their faces and withheld their names, fearing doxxing, reprisals, and discrimination for their pro-Palestinian stance.Stefano Giovannini Many of the younger protesters at the rally wore keffiyeh scarves in solidarity with the Palestinian people.Stefano Giovannini
“Anyone with a good conscience should tear down this brutal poster of atrocity propaganda, which repeats proven lies about Hamas killing babies and raping women to breed hysteria and justify Israel’s genocide of Palestinians,” Walsh told The Post.
“If we want to talk about hostages, let’s talk about how Israel bombed their own ‘hostages’ to death in Gaza instead of negotiating peace. The real hostages are the 2 million Palestinians trapped in Gaza, the 10,000 Israelis have killed in the past month, and thousands more trapped under the rubble.”
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
